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Tombstone/Hexbug RC
As part of a range that was released in 2016 by HEXBUG, Tombstone is one of multiple robots in the RC Series and features a working weapon separate from the drive motors. The toy is easily identifiable as Tombstone as it has Tombstone's design and first spinning bar used in the tournament, but the spinning bar is red instead of silver as a result of the designers merging the shape of the signaure silver bar with the color of the red bar. When the toy is activated or turned off, its drive wheels move back-and-forth briefly. Much like the previous BattleBots toys, Tombstone has panels that come off to represent damage, namely two rear panels held on with magnets and a top piece resting over the electronics. The included palm-sized remote allows the toy to be controlled with 1 of 4 possible channels. If you buy the toys separate from one another, or from the HEXBUG website, each one comes with their own special sticker that references the robot being replicated as a toy. If the toy is not in use for roughly 30 seconds to a minute, the toy shuts off automatically. A 2nd version of the toy was unveiled with a black version of the red blade from the original RC toy and the real robot's sponsor ships and an updated paint job. It has been released alongside a somewhat updated Minotaur RC with a re-release of the BattleBots arena playset and individually. TombstoneRCInsides.jpg|The prototype without its removable panels. TombstoneRC.jpg|The prototype sealed in its mock packaging. HexbugTombstoneRC.jpg|The finished toy. 14590280 210803062683580 1729476851024840261 n.jpg|A sticker included with the finished toy when ordered from the HEXBUG website. HEXBUGTombstoneRCAlternate.jpg|The updated version of the toy. TombstoneBlackBladeIndividualRelease.jpg|The updated Tombstone toy with the black blade. Changes from the Prototype When the toy was released, it had multiple differences compared to the original prototype. 1. The wheel that connected the pully to the weapon was changed from a bowl shape on the prototype to a more disc shape. 2. The back of the toy had translucent removable rear panels but the actual toy's removable panels are not translucent at all. 3. The red light inside the prototype toy was removed for the final release. 4. The blade on the prototype was orange but was changed to red for release. 5. The remote control that came with the prototype was orange and blueish but was changed to be gray for the final release of the toy. 6. The speed of the blade on the prototype is a bit slower than the speed on the blade for the final product. Deviations from Real Life 1. The weapon is powered by a belt rather than a chain 2. The wespon is red (or black and white with the re-release) instead of silver with dark gray teeth 3. For safety reasons, the weapon is much less powerful and thus also lacks the gyroscopic effects the real robot suffers after impacts. 4. The wheel hubs are black instead of white 5. There is no armor over the weapon support. Problems 1. Owners of the toy have found possible problems with the toy such as the toy not working or the magnetic rear pieces coming off on impacts that don't involve them. *A solution may be to grind down the stubs of plastic embedded in the magents for the rear panels to make them flush with the magnets. 2. The nut that helps hold the blade into place can come off and become lost, which can cause the axle to come out and thus take the blade off, though this can be used for additional "damage" in matches. *A dab of Loctite on the nut can prevent this if it becomes a hassle. 3. One or both rear panels can be knocked out of position in such a way that the toy's wheels do not touch the ground. 4. Be careful when driving the toy over a floor that transitions to carpet as the toy can get stuck over the edge separating the two surfaces. *Taping over the edge where the two surfaces meet can reduce or elimiate this problem. 5. The top panel of the toy isn't held by anything and can easily come off on impact. *While this intended to occur with the toy, if the piece is resting on the top of the toy, turning the toy in the opposite direction that the panel is facing can help put the piece back into place without the need to pause the match. Tips for Use 1. Since the toy has no way to result in a KO, one way to rectify this is to remove the battery cover underneath the toy. This allows the batteries to fall out, giving the feel that the toy has been KO'd. 2. If the first tip seems too unconventional or you don't want to lose the batteries, you can make the fight last longer by adding a rule that disables the part if it is hit with the opposing toy's weapon (a wheel for example). However, since the wheels turn simultaneously, both wheels will have to be hit for this rule to knock the toy out. As Tombstone: *Tombstone's two-wheel drive and long reach weaponry allows it to hit the opponent's pieces from a distance without risking its own. *The toy is also invertible so if by some miracle it's flipped, it can still work, though the remote controls may become difficult. *Tombstone is even less likely to end up on its side due to the very design of the toy. Against Tombstone: *The removable panels can come off much more easily, even from an impact not directly on them, allowing for a quick victory with little or no loss of pieces. *If Tombstone is flipped, the weapon is higher up, which can not only allow wedges to get underneath but render the weapon practically useless as all the vulnerable parts will generally be out of reach, unless it faces Beta. Plus, the controls will become more difficult for its driver, allowing you to get additional hits and the top piece will likely come off. Possible Robots for Remodelling As the toy is a two-wheeld robot, you can convert any toy version of Tombstone into one of several robots from the Comedy Central era of the show. T.R.A.C.I.E. (Robot Wars): Remove the mount for the blade and attach two spikes to the top edge at one end one end, preferably the end that drives forward. Then build a box shape around the body, making sure that it's relatively long and ends up putting the drive wheels in the center. caster wheels or other substititues can be used to keep the toy level. Mechavore/SurgeonGeneral/other horizontal spinner: One other possibility is to convert it it into a horizontal spinner like Mechavore or even better Surgeon General. Mechavore may prove easier in a sense because of how the original Tombstone toy is shaped. However, you'll probably still want to add fake wheels and extend the body but you may have to incorporate the removable rear panels into the toy for fairness. Surgeon General on the other hand is certainly easy givren its design and flat back, allowing the removable pannels to be more easily incorporated. Simply repaint the body dark reddish and swap out the bar for a plastic disc. Since the toy is already invertible, that part is already done. Trivia *The toy's power button is the same color as its weapon. *Tombstone is one of only two RC toys in the HEXBUG toy line to be released for two different products without getting any major functional changes. The other toy that has this trivia is Minotaur. Category:BattleBots Merchandise Category:Hexbug Toys